Eligibility requirements

  • Only Canadian citizens under 45 years old are eligible to receive CLIC support.
  • Only full-time students from CLIC member universities are eligible to receive CLIC support.
  • Students may only receive CLIC support for one summer program throughout their academic career.
  • If you are already receiving a scholarship from the China Scholarship Council, you will not be eligible to receive CLIC support.
  • Dual citizenship is illegal for Chinese citizens. For full year exchange program applicants, please make sure that you do not have Chinese citizenship before you enjoy CLIC benefits.

How to Apply

Once you’ve chosen a program of study in China, setting it up is a five-step process:

Step 1:  Apply to your program of choice at your home university

Step 2: Apply to the Chinese Scholarship Council

Step 3: Register with CLIC

Step 4: Register with your host university (if applicable)

Step 5: Apply for a Chinese visa

Step 1: Apply to your program of choice at your home university

Application for a CLIC-approved program starts with your home university’s education abroad department. Use our Program Finder to find the programs that are offered through your home university and which one is right for you.

Below are links to the study abroad sites hosted by CLIC’s eleven member universities. Please see our Contact Us page to find the CLIC Liaison at your university.

Currently, only students enrolled in one of our eleven member universities are eligible for CLIC programs. Once your Canadian home university approves your application, you will be nominated to CLIC office. After CLIC office approves the nomination, the CLIC contact at your Canadian home university will ask you to apply to the Chinese Scholarship Council (so that you can receive your funds), register with CLIC office, and register with your Chinese host university (if applicable).

Step 2: Apply to the China Scholarship Council

Application link: https://studyinchina.csc.edu.cn

DOWNLOAD AND FOLLOW “THE CLIC CSC APPLICATION AND REGISTRATION GUIDE “CAREFULLY. Mistakes in your application may lead to it being rejected.

Please use the name on your passport for all CLIC related applications and communications.

Tentative application deadlines:  Midnight Nov. 15, 2023 (MT) for Winter 2024 exchange programs. 

Applying to the CSC is really more like a registration so that you may receive your funding for CLIC.

Since CLIC has been specially approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education, CLIC students are not required to print the applications or mail a hard copy of the application package to the Education Office, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Canada. Instead, you can proceed to arranging your Chinese study visa.

If you are having problems with your CSC application, the answer to your problem may be found on https://www.chinese-forums.com. Just search for CSC Scholarships with the year you are applying (e.g. 2016 CSC Scholarships). Otherwise, please feel free to contact the CLIC office at [email protected].

Step 3: Register with the CLIC Program

Application link: https://clic-horizons.symplicity.com

Instructions on how to register with CLIC are included in the CLIC-CSC Application and Registration Guide linked above. The registration process only takes 5-10 minutes and ensures that the CLIC office has all the information it needs to make sure your CLIC benefits are delivered properly.

Tentative registration deadlines: Midnight Nov. 15, 2023 (MT) for Winter 2024 exchange programs. 

Step 4: Register with your host university (if applicable)

Some summer programs will require you to apply to the Chinese host university. Others simply require a nomination by the CLIC office.

Check the Program Specific Eligibility Requirement in the Program Finder to find out whether your program requires a separate application. Registration deadlines vary among different summer programs.  

CLIC support includes an application fee waiver.

  • Please do not pay an application fee to your host university.
  • If you pay the application fee, you will not be reimbursed.
  • If your host university asks you to pay an application fee, please contact the CLIC office at [email protected] and we will help you get the waiver as soon as possible.

Step 5: Visa application

In order to study in China, you’ll a need a visa. As a CLIC recipient you will receive a JW201 form along with your admission notice from your host university to submit to your nearest Chinese visa office for a X1 (over 180 days) or X2 (under 180 days) visa. For more information on the visa application process, requirements, and online applications, visit www.visaforchina.org.

Please consult with your nearest visa office for definitive answers regarding your visa application. Though we would like to help, visa application policies can change and the CLIC office does not always have the most up to date information.